Hello Sergeant (Bucky Barnes)

Small talk

Sarah's POV

"No, he and Kate aren't a thing – yet," I said to Maria as we walked back to my apartment. "They try to hang out at least once when Jace is in town if they can, but that's about it." Maria opened the door for me so I didn't have to shift the full basket in my arms.

"Because she thinks he's too young for her? There's what – 5 years between them?" Maria asked.

"No, six. That's kind of a big gap right now, don't you think? That's less than me and Steve and we struggle at times."

I ignored the couple on the couch as we walked past, having clearly interrupted a moment between them. Nat's favorite lipstick was all over him and his hair was mussed. I shut the bedroom door behind us. Maria gave me a look.

"What?" I asked as I set the basket on the bed. "They belong together."

"He doesn't look at her the way he looks at you," Maria said quietly, pulling the empty hangers out of the closet and setting them on the bed, fluttering her eyelashes comically. "His eyes hardly ever leave you, you know?"

I held up one hand and shook my head. "I don't want to know. He shouldn't look at me that way at all, so I'm all for it, Maria. It's better this way; I don't feel as guilty about being with James if I'm only ever Peggy to him. Steve of all people doesn't deserve to be cuckolded twice in one lifetime by his best friend and his girlfriend."

"Ouch!" she winced. "When you say it like that it really sounds bad."

"Yeah, because it sounds even better when you know that he doesn't believe I'm not Peggy and can't remember much about his life before a month ago." I rolled my eyes and sighed. "Nat told me that she was okay with me being with James."

"That doesn't surprise me. She flat out told you to your face, I assume?"

"Yeah, when she was telling me that she didn't plan on defining their relationship as anything more than friends with benefits."

"Leaving him technically free to pursue you. Are you going to let him sleep with you tonight?"

"I don't think that's a good idea, Maria. James can sleep on the couch and Jace can stay at Steve's; it'll be better that way, I think."

Maria gave me a skeptical look. "If you say so. I don't think he'll stay on the couch, though."

"Change of subject. Speaking of looks, I've seen the way that Clint looks at you." I started hanging up James' shirts, laying them on the bed until I made a space in my closet for them.

"And how is that?" she said, sitting down on the chair by the closet to watch me put things away.

"You're not denying it." I studied her as my hands were busy, watching the flush spread across her lovely face.

"There's nothing to deny! We're friends and co-workers, former partners, nothing more than that," she said in a tone that lacked conviction.

I pinned her with a look. "Seriously, you like him, Maria – and he's into you, too. You know how much Clint hates mornings and he's in your office long before dawn?"

"We still hadn't left from the night before!"

I raised my brows at her. "So I interrupted? You could've told me to come back later; my stupid teenage issues could have waited!"

"No, they couldn't have," Maria said with a smile. "You were almost at full panic mode by the time you got to Shield, Sarah. You can't deny that."

"Wasn't going to. I knew I was out of my depth." I hung up a couple more shirts before moving on to folding. I sighed deeply. "I really miss Steve right now. He's the one who likes this part of doing laundry."